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Thursday, 31 March 2016

March, what happened man?! One minute I was looking forward to all of these awesome cinema releases and the next minute it's nearly April and I didn't even see half of them! I may as well play the 'eeny meeny miny mo' game with my 'Looking Forward' movie for April, because I guarantee I won't see it till it's DVD release!

Anyway, here's some fun trivia for the movies we've reviewed this month in March:

Brie Larson isolated herself in her home for a month without a phone or internet and followed a strict diet in order to get a sense of what Ma and Jack were going through. Larson has said that because she considers herself an introvert who prefers to stay at home, she thought that her month of isolation would be a vacation, but towards the last week she became very depressed and would cry all day.Just one of the many reasons she fully deserved that Oscar!!

During the filming process, Lily James stated that she had a scene where she had to walk through an area with zombie heads all around. Of course, most of them were fake props and she was directed to stomp on one. They would have supposedly gotten squished, however she stomped and realized everyone behind cameras were all staring at her in shock. She looked down and realized she stepped on one of the few extras' head.

OMG! This might be some of the best trivia I've ever seen!Mississippi Grind (2015)Loosely based on the 1974 film California Split by Robert Altman.Not very fun I know, but I'm tempted to check this movie out.Identity (2003)When Ed (John Cusack) shoots Rhodes (Ray Liotta) at the end of the movie, you can see Rhodes mouth the words "I didn't do this" and Ed replies "I know". Neither of these lines are audible. They were muted because the director felt that would make it obvious that Rhodes was not the killer, thus making the true climax (finding that Timmy is the killer) less surprising.Grey'd out because spoilers! The Bourne Legacy (2012)Before this movie was seriously considered, director Paul Greengrass (who helmed two earlier installments of this series) jokingly suggested to make a fourth Bourne movie called "The Bourne Redundancy".This tickled me...The Last Witch Hunter (2015)Vin Diesel had been a Dungeons and Dragons player for many years (he taught Judi Dench to play on the set of The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)). The main character in this movie was partly based on his old D&D character (Melkor) who was a Witch Hunter. He used one of the 3rd party D&D books to create the character class as he loved being a Ranger type but also like to use a few spells too.I didn't enjoy this movie much, but I'd definitely enjoy a D&D session with Vin Diesel and Judi Dench!Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)A female passer-by actually wandered onto the biker bar set thinking it was real, despite walking past all the location trucks, cameras and lights. Seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger standing in the bar dressed only in boxer shorts, she wondered aloud what was going on, only for Schwarzenegger to reply that it was male stripper night.The Dressmaker (2015)Shooting of the film was interrupted several times as wild emus interrupted the scenes.Come on, this movie was crazy enough, a few wild emus wouldn't have made much difference!

Wednesday, 30 March 2016

Every now and again, a movie comes along that takes me by surprise so much, that I just can’t stop talking about it to anyone who will listen, whether willingly or not. Throughout 2016 I’m trying to move out of my movie comfort zone, and watch movies that I would normally not even give a second thought. The Dressmaker just happened to be one of those. From the poster, it looked like a quiet, fashion-orientated drama, but I’d read some reviews that really sang it’s praises, and so, thinking there must be more to it, I gave it a shot. I’ll admit, Liam Hemsworth starring in it might have helped, too.

So, the plot in it’s most basic form is that Tilly Dunnage (Kate Winslet) is returning to her tiny hometown in Australia after being sent away as a child. After a stay in Paris among others, she is now a highly skilled dressmaker, and using these skills, she transforms the women in the town and seeks revenge on those who wronged her.

It’s so much more than that though! The Dressmaker is literally a drama, a romance, a black comedy, and a murder mystery all in one. That’s right, a murder mystery! You see, Tilly apparently murdered a boy when she was a young girl, that’s why she got sent away, but she doesn’t remember what happened. Some of my favourite moments in the movie are her scenes with Teddy (Liam Hemsworth), who helps her to remember what happened. They were the best bits, and not just because of Liam Hemsworth!There are so many different elements to this film it was hard to keep up, one minute its a romance then its a thriller and a mystery. It took some pretty dark turns throughout which kept me on my toes. Following the Oscars this year, I am trying to look at more elements of a movie than just the plot and cast and one thing I have to mention on this one is the costume design, the contrast between the outfits they are wearing to start with and the ones that Tilly creates is amazing, as well as Sergeant Farrat's transformation from straight laced cop to matador!!

So, if that’s not enough for you, let me try this one on you. A cross-dressing Elrond. Seriously, Hugo Weaving’s character is absolutely brilliant in this, and he steals every scene he’s in. I think his first line was when Tilly steps out of her vehicle upon arriving home, and he says in shock and awe ‘Is that...Gucci?’. Just brilliant! Love that guy. Wasn't he just the best, they could have revolved the whole movie around him and I would have loved every second. Watching him dancing around draped in pink fabric was the highlight for me.

About half way through, there’s an amazing revelation about the murder which was so intense, and it was probably my favourite scene in the entire movie. Then it all twists in a completely unexpected way! I had no idea what was coming, I had to literally pause and rewind the movie to make sure what I’d just witnessed actually happened. I don’t want to say any more than that in case I put ideas in your mind, but my mouth was hanging open at that point.

Of course, it’s not without fault, but I only really have two gripes. One being that the twist came just a little too early, as by the time I recovered from it all, there was still a big chunk of movie left. I’d have liked it to have ended whilst I was still feeling that shock. The other one feels mean to say, but Tilly is meant to be the same age as a lot of the other characters, and Kate Winslet was just too old for that to be believable. Gosh, it sounds even worse now that I’m typing it, but it’s true! I’m sorry Kate, I really, really love you. I didn't notice that at all, I feel like I need to go back and check again! Maybe I have my 'I Love you Kate' blinders on!

Anyway, I had such a blast watching this, and I’ll carry on recommending it to people. Don’t let that movie poster give you preconceptions like it gave me. I had no idea what to expect, I had seen the trailer and the poster and I still couldn't put my finger on what type of film it was but I bloody loved it!Did it remind anyone else a little of The Grand Budapest Hotel, the way it was filmed?

Monday, 28 March 2016

Whilst I can't claim to be a die hard Girls fan, (I only started watching the show in December last year) I can say that it is without a doubt one of my favorite TV shows of all time. It seems to really divide the nation between love and hate, and even though I can't fully relate to any of it's main characters, (I'm British, have a boring job and am not financially funded by my parents) there's something about the cast that has me hooked, and Lena Dunham's character Hannah is normally the one to thank for that.

Hannah isn't without her faults. She's selfish at times, reacts badly in social situations, and gets herself into some terrible relationships. But not one episode has gone by where I haven't thought to myself at least once, "omg that's me" and that's why, deep down, I love her. So, in true ramble and list form, here are just a few of the reasons I find her so loveable.

1. She attempted to cut her own hair, which went horribly wrong. I've had a fringe all my life, and on too many occasions I've resorted to trimming it myself. When I had something similar to a pixie cut, I went one step further, and that ended disatrously.

2. Her dress sense changes dramatically to sophisticated chic to a complete mess. Come on, we're surely all guilty of buying a 'quirky' top that we were so sure we could pull off at the time?

3. I think this was in the very first episode, but once I saw Hannah eating a cupcake whilst in the bath, I knew that Girls was the show for me. Not that I've actually done this myself. Yet.

4. Food might be a running theme in this post, come to think of it. Anyway, I'm 26 years old and still use the phrase 'I'm a growing girl'. Sadly I only seem to grow outwards now. Sadface.

5. This bridesmaid dress moment had me in stitches. Dresses are hard, okay?! Especially any dresses related to a wedding. I should know! For the record, I'm digging the way Hannah put this on.

6. Have I mentioned food yet?

7. I don't think I've heard such true words before. This is definitely who I want! Thankfully I found him, and we're making it official in May!

8. I honestly feel like I've learnt things from this show. For years I've said yes to every offer of plans, even ones I didn't want to do, and since I started saying no more, I'm a much happier person.

9. Hannah can be so overdramatic, and although this is normally when she can get irritating, the car crash moment was funny. I've certainly been a little theatrical for some extra sympathy in the past.

10. Hannah's enthusiasm and confidence are my favourite traits of hers, and this quote in particular is brilliant. You don't need to be skilled in all things, and I wish curiosity got you further in the real world.

11. Finally, and this might not mean much to you, but this is exactly how I'm blogging right now, and it wasn't until I was researching some imagery for this post that I even realised. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to run a bath, grab a cupcake and then cut my own hair...

Saturday, 26 March 2016

I sit here at 19:33 on Sunday night with a stinking hangover, having watched Terminator 2 curled up in a ball in my sofa. I thought with my fuzzy head I might struggle to follow it but I'm pretty sure I got it all!

The sequel to Terminator (which was in last years Blind Spot list) "T2" brings back the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) but this time recruited to protect John Connor (Edward Furlong) from the advanced T-1000 (Robert Patrick) sent to kill him. John, Sarah (Linda Hamilton) and the T-800 go on the run staying one step ahead of the killer robot.

First thing I have to say is straight away you can see the improvements in the special effects, helicopters, huge explosions and melting robots, its exciting from beginning to end. I have to admit, I think I prefer this one to the original, mostly because of Sarah's kickass-ness and also the humour and light heartedness that John brings to the game. Him trying to teach the T-800 how to be a bit more human really made me laugh and I can see where this movie influenced Terminator Genisys with that version of Sarah Connor teaching "pops" how to be more human.

I think this is an important time to mention the bizarre order in which I have watched these films, I started years ago with Terminator Salvation, followed by Terminator 1 then Terminator Genisys and now Terminator 2. If the timelines get confusing when you watch them in order, try watching them in the wrong order.Overall, I really enjoyed this, I was entertained from beginning to end (even with my hangover) and loved the father/son type bond that developed with John and the Terminator. I did miss Kyle Reese though!

Not going to wait until the next Blind Spot challenge to watch Rise of the Machines, I'm so intrigued as to how Arnie is in it again!

Thursday, 24 March 2016

I do love a good mystery/thriller! It’s hard to hunt this kind of movie down because once you know there’s a big twist, you find yourself trying to work it out, so when a work colleague mentioned Identity (2003) and said it ‘was a bit of a weird one’ I yelled for them to say no more and watched it that very night. It’s a brilliant movie about a bunch of strangers who all find themselves trapped at a motel, which is creepy enough until one by one they all get murdered.

It was an entertaining watch, and I didn’t see the twist coming, but my real complaint is that the twist came too early, and the actual ending itself was pretty unnecessary. Still, a good movie and I’d recommend it to other fans of the genre.

It took me far too long to watch the original Bourne trilogy, and with the latest movie on the horizon, I thought it was about time I watched The Bourne Legacy (2012). Plus, it’s got Oscar Isaac, so that was a selling point. (Spoiler Alert - That was a bit of a Cabin in the Woods moment for me, doh). I think my fiance enjoyed this more than I did, but it was an entertaining watch on a rainy weekend evening, with some great action scenes that had me on the edge of my seat and a little twist I wasn’t expecting either.

It’s family movie night. We’d been planning for the last 2 weeks to watch Everest together. At the last minute, my Grampy decides Everest looked boring (argh!) and suggests we watch The Last Witch Hunter (2015) instead. Well….I do always say that I’ll watch any movie once. I didn’t even realise it was actually set in the present day, which cheered me up a little. It’s the kind of fantasy movie my 14 year old self would have loved, obsessed over actually, but now, it just wasn’t enough. It was entertaining at the time, but 3 weeks later I can barely remember it.

Which made me feel like a total snob when the credits rolled and my family gushed about how amazing it was. Well, they are the same family who hail San Andreas one of the greatest disaster movies! Sorry…

Tuesday, 22 March 2016

I feel like I dedicate far too much time defending Ryan Reynolds on this blog, and after being massively underwhelmed by Self/less earlier this year, I was planning on giving Mississippi Grind a miss, but the reviews I had read looked fairly positive, so I scolded myself for being judgmental and gave it a watch the other night.

Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn) loves to gamble but is currently down on his luck and in serious financial trouble. When he winds up meeting Curtis (Ryan Reynolds) a younger, and charismatic poker player, the two decide to set out on a road trip throughout the South to win back what they have lost, not only money.

I’m not a gambler myself, and my only knowledge of poker is that it’s something to do with the number 21. I don’t know if aces are highs or lows, and I don’t know what anyone means when they say ‘check’, but luckily no knowledge of the hobby is required to enjoy Mississippi Grind. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a movie quite like it, but if I had to compare it to anything, it definitely has some similarities to Sideways.

This was a really enjoyable movie to watch, and I was never sure how it was going to end for the two friends. Just when things start to look up for them, a disaster is waiting just around the corner, and when you think the situation can’t get any worse, it does, but then picks back up again. The final casino scene in particular was a real nail biter, and the suspense that gets built up was really effective.I found myself sat on the edge of my seat, wanting to shout ‘Well then?! What happened??’ Thankfully we aren’t left hanging for too long.

I haven’t seen much of Ben Mendelsohn’s work so far but he is definitely one to watch here. His character was so well played. He gives off such a perfect loner-type with a hint of darkness, and I was never sure whether to feel sorry for his character or whether I wanted to grab him and talk some sense into him. Ryan Reynolds was great too and got to play the character he plays so well, but Mendelsohn definitely steals the show here.

My only real reservation is that I’m not sure what is missing from making Mississippi Grind a great movie. It was such an entertaining watch, but it was missing the ‘wow’ factor, and I can’t put my finger on why.

That said though, this is definitely worth a watch.

Oh, and I have typed the word 'Mississippi' so much now I'm hesitating, and it doesn't look like a real word to me anymore. Help!

Sunday, 20 March 2016

UPDATED POST: Now that Jenna's seen the movie!I’m doing fairly well with the summer blockbusters so far, which is unusual for me. Thanks to my local Odeon sending me a 50% off tickets for the weekend offer, I got to go and see Terminator Genisys on a Sunday evening. I’m so glad Jenna and I watched the original Terminator movie a few weeks ago, or I would have been tempted to skip this one all together. Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to see Judgement Day, which I now think would have really helped. Seven months after the original post, I managed to get round to seeing it. I'm now annoyed that I waited so long!

Excuse me now while I set the scene badly. John Connor (Jason Clarke) sends Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back in time to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) from the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), just like in the original. However, something goes wrong, and now Kyle has been sent back to some kind of alternate timeline where Sarah is already tough as nails, and has her own Terminator looking after her, named Pops. That was pretty good!

Let me start with what I loved. The nods and references to the original movie were awesome and are the reason I’m so glad I watched it. There was even (were even?) purple pew pew lazers at the start! Arnie as Pops was my favourite character, as terrifying as his smile was. I only know Emilia Clarke from Game of Thrones so it was nice to see what else she can do, and damn that girl kicks ass! Loved that smile, it was hilarious, i'm guessing there would be a few out-takes from those scenes because how could you not laugh at this face:

I can’t help but feel that a viewing all the previous movies is mandatory before watching Genisys. As clear as the references to the first movie were, I got the distinct feeling there were many moments from the others as well, and that really hindered my enjoyment of the whole thing. I knew enough to (almost) understand what was going on, but I might have to revisit this review in the future after watching the full series. This is surprising because I noticed a few mentions of Judgement Day but I didn't feel like I was missing anything having not seen it. However, I do now REALLY want to see it!

Now, I feel like I should say that I love time travel. You can do almost anything you want with it, and I love trying to work my head around alternate timelines and what not. This was too much for me though. I think I was doing okay and then I got myself confused halfway through and missed probably 20 minutes of the movie trying to get my head around it. Again though, I think the knowledge of the previous movies would help. I struggled with the timelines and such for a while but about half an hour in I got to grips with it and I think I managed to hold onto it until the end. I've lost is now though so don't ask me to explain it! I feel like I may have watched the films in the wrong order as I started with 4, then 1, now 5 and I still haven't seen 2 and 3 but I'm desperate for number 6 - now I am confused!I loved this way more than I thought I would and personally, I preferred the chemistry between Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney than I did the original cast (this comment may get me some stick but hey ho!). I really did enjoy trying to keep track of the timelines and how it differed from the original. One thing that did throw me was how Sarah knew how her entire life was supposed to play out, I pondered over that one for a good half an hour before I clocked that Pops obviously told her!Ahhhhh how could I forget JK Simmons, love him!! Didn't know he was in this, loved watching him bumbling around, tripping over stuff. He can play anyone and I will automatically love him!

That said then, my score is a placeholder for now based solely on my enjoyment of the screening (as always). I’ll watch the other movies and revisit this at a later date. Or should I say...I’ll be back. Now's your chance....

Saturday, 19 March 2016

I have made the executive decision that a a moustache has magical powers. Magical powers that make regular actors look creepy as f**k or like a completely different person. Here are some of my favourites:

Sacha Baron Cohen knows how to use a moustache to make a character. Borat's in particular makes his character the creepy weirdo that he is, Ali G wouldn't be the same without his trademark goatie and tash!!

Hook was a terrifying bad guy, mostly down to his great acting skills but that moustache had a lot to do with it as well, Although, the face that it was never quite central messed with my over symmetrical brain somewhat!

This was such a great transformation that for years I didn't even realise Daniel Day Lewis was the guy on the right.

How a moustache can make one person look so damn creepy, I love Ben Stiller but his look and his character in this make him so unlikable. I guess that is credit to how good an actor he is.

Kurt Russell actually grew and maintained this moustache for his role in Hateful Eight. That is quite impressive but does make him look waay older than his years and significantly less attractive.

A huge chunk of this film revolves around Foy's (Neil Patrick Harris) fabulous moustache, all culminating in this awesome scene.

Thursday, 17 March 2016

I like to think that I’ll give any movie a shot if someone recommends it to me, but there are two specific movies that I have zero interest in watching. Period Dramas and Zombie Horrors. I’m trying this year though to be more open minded, and with the arrival of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I got the chance to put a tick in both boxes. Plus, the lovely Ruth at FlixChatter is crushing hard on Sam Riley right now, and I feel like I owe it to her to check him out!

Now, I’ve never watched or read the original Pride and Prejudice so forgive me if I manage to completely butcher the plot or make a fool of myself in any other way, but the plot of this movie goes something like this. In an alternative 19th century England, Elizabeth (Lily James) and her sisters are desperately trying to avoid being pushed into marriages whilst also learning how to protect themselves from the zombies that plague the Earth. Along the way, Elizabeth meets Mr Darcy (Sam Riley) who is investigating a possible outbreak.What struck me first of all was how funny this movie was! I’m not saying I was expecting a straight-faced horror or anything, and I can’t even think of a specific moment to mention, but it was multiple subtle moments in expressions and timing that had me laughing throughout. Plus Matt Smith’s character Parson Collins who was just hilarious every time he was on the screen.

The main reason I can’t get on with period dramas is that the female characters tend to rub me up the wrong way. I don’t know how zombies solved this problem for me but they did! The 5 sisters in this movie are brilliant, they can hold their own ground, stand up for themselves and ultimately - kick ass! The scene where they all got ready for the dance, holstering their knives under their skirts was just great. This brings me on to the rest of the cast. When I first saw the trailer I didn’t recognise many faces, but now, I seem to know everybody! It's always fun trying to remember just where you saw that face.I think what let me down was my own knowledge of the genre to be honest. I’m sure there were many nods to the original Pride and Prejudice and they would have flown straight over my head. In fact, I might just have to watch it now to find out, but I’m not going to be able to take it seriously anymore!

Now, I can’t finish this review without telling Ruth what I thought of her beloved Sam Riley. Whilst he’s not going to knock Oscar Isaac off the top of my obsession throne, he was rather yummy I must admit! And Ruth I have to know, is his voice always that husky? I could listen to the man talk all day!Anyway, as someone who dislikes horror and period drama, I had so much with this movie. In fact, I dare say I’m going to be rewatching it soon. Edit: I’ve just realised that the movie’s tagline is ‘Bloody Lovely’ and I’ve been laughing for about 10 minutes straight.

Tuesday, 15 March 2016

Ever since his character was ruined in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I’ve been waiting for Deadpool to be done right, in his own movie. The Deadpool comics were the first ones I truly fell in love with. Turns out, Ryan Reynolds has been waiting longer than me, 11 years in total, I think. With that in mind, and after one of the most interesting, amusing and highly successful movie marketing campaigns of all time, I was terrified walking into the IMAX screen that my expectations were too high. I have been a little bit AWOL on the blog of late due to work commitments. 14hr working days and restless nights do not a blogger make. However, I what I didn't realise that I had left Allie's Deadpool post high and dry, I could have sworn I had put my rambling thoughts in but apparently not! Sorry mate!

Deadpool may have super-human powers, but he’s no superhero. Before his change, he was simply Wade Wilson, a shady character with questionable friends and companions. When he discovers he has cancer, and multiple forms, an offer to not only cure his illnesses but make him stronger than before becomes an offer he can’t refuse. It also starts a life-long grudge against a guy named Francis (Ed Skrein).

Straight from the outset, Deadpool was hilarious. The opening credits are just as funny, if not funnier than the closing credits of 22 Jump Street. Then we get thrown straight into the action shown in the leaked footage (which I think Ryan Reynolds himself has virtually confessed to) and the trailers, only much, much more violent. I think I may have actually laughed from beginning to end of this film, opening and closing credits included!

When you look at the movie as a whole, it’s really small, being almost a 50/50 split between current events and flashbacks. Deadpool could have easily been an hour and a half of pure comedy and violence, but there’s an origin story here with heart, that doesn’t feel like it’s been put there for the sake of it. It’s actually really clever, and comic book fans will love the pizza delivery scene. You’ll know it when you see it! I don't get it :( you'll have to update me when I see you next!

The jokes come quick and fast, and they’ll please fans worldwide. There were some American references I didn’t understand, but poor David Beckham got poked fun at and there’s a brilliant Fawlty Towers joke in there too! it really is funny from start to finish, with a mix of crude, rude and downright offensive jokes, to my personal favourite moments, when Deadpool breaks the fourth wall. He pauses his own movie to fill us in on what he’s thinking, and forward winds bits we’ve already seen, which leads to a very gross moment when he forward winds too far. You’ll never look at a pair of Crocs the same way again. haha!Ryan Reynolds was as awesome as hoped he would be, dark, dry humour and leaving no subject off limits. I was genuinely terrified that they would hold back and avoid the really dark humour but they kept on pushing the boundaries. They have no issue with breaking the fourth wall, taking aim at other Marvel/DC characters or even mentioning their real names in jest. The plot wasn't the greatest but the comedy, narration and violence made the movie what it was, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Let’s not forget Stan Lee’s amazing cameo. We were told to expect it in the opening credits, and I was consiously waiting for it for ages, and boy was it worth the wait! What a guy! I also loved the two X-Men characters involved, Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (best name ever!!) (Brianna Hildebrand). They really added to the story and I hope we get to see them again!

All in all, this was everything I wanted Deadpool to be and more. Consider me a very happy fan. oh, and if you haven’t seen it yet, make sure you wait till the end of the credits! This is the new number 2 in my superhero list (if you can consider it a superhero movie) and number 1 in my 'anti-hero' list.